14A/N : I don't own Soul Eater. :'(
Chapter 2: The Evening Before (Part 1)
"This is already gonna suck, the least she could do is be on time. She's the one who likes these kind of shindigs," grumbling to himself, Soul glanced at the clock, dressed in his evening best with a slightly disgusted look on his face. Tonight was the annual celebration of the DWMA founding and Soul didn't particularly want to go. The formality was annoying, there would be too many people, and the music was always crap. But attendance was...expected, and Maka wouldn't stand for him skipping. On top of that, it was Kidd's first time hosting the annual party since replacing Lord Death, so not only would there be a long and boring speech, but Soul's absence would definitely be noted by his...classmate? boss? whatever. "C'mon already, Maka! We're going to be late!" Soul shouted from the entryway of their apartment, where he slouched against the doorframe.
"Can it, Soul!" The angry reply came from the depths of Maka's bedroom. "I'm almost ready! And besides, it's your fault anyway!"
"HAAAH?! No way! How is it MY fault?! If you didn't always take so damn long to get ready for these things, we could have been there already and not had to wait in line for the free food!" And I would have been able to scope out a place to avoid most of the chaos without being noticed.
"All I'm saying is, if you hadn't insisted on goofing off with Black*Star before the party, I wouldn't have had to lecture you instead of getting ready!"
"That is NOT my fault! You didn't have to get so mad in the first place! it wasn't a big deal! God, Maka, you are so frustrating sometimes!"
"This is Kidd's big night! Knowing Black*Star, you guys could easily gotten up to something that would cause problems for him!" Maka's volume varied as she moved around doing who-knew-what in her room.
"Lighten up, will ya? As much as I hate this party-thing, I'm not the kinda guy to sabotage a friend and his big party. Maybe just...liven it up a little." Soul grinned toothily at that last part. Death the Kidd was just too fun to prank sometimes. Although nowadays you had to be careful; he was packing a helluva lot more of a punch now he was a full-fledged reaper, and the guy could kick ass before. The power boost Soul'd gotten from being transformed into a DeathScythe couldn't compare.
"See! That's what I mean!" Maka had finally opened the door and stood angrily in the entrance, glaring warningly at the weapon...who was staring at his dress shoes.
"Oh whatever. Are you finally ready now? Maybe this party will help you loosen up. You've been really annoying these last…" Soul trailed off briefly as he looked up. "few months," he hurriedly finished. Swallowing thickly, Soul thoroughly observed the young woman, no, the vision, in front of him, doing his best to keep his face expressionless.
In the years he had known her, and especially the last few, the young girl he called meister had bloomed and filled out into something more. Oh sure, she was still lithe and slender, and she'd never be curvaceous on the level of Tsubaki or the Thompson sisters, but-especially wearing what she was now-there was no longer any mistaking her for a boy.
Maka felt herself blush under Soul's perusal, his crimson eyes darkening to match the burgundy of her dress. Looking down she smoothed her palms over the material on her stomach. The strapless dress fit snugly on the bodice before nipping in around her waist and flaring out delicately over her hips with a gossamer over-shell. The gown fit perfectly, giving her the hourglass figure she'd always admired, and left little to the imagination about her actual shape. A fact she was slightly self-conscious about. But she loved the way it flowed about her knees and hips, the way it caressed her when she spun, making her feel like magic was swirling around her and transforming her. The dress made her feel free and, she secretly admitted, just a bit sexy and alluring.
She'd picked up the dress, at first, because it reminded her of Soul's eyes and she'd thought it would make a good match for the dance. But she had worried about the weapon's reaction, and with the way he was looking at her so intensely, she feared she'd been right. It was ridiculous for someone with her shape to wear a dress like this. But she'd bought it, she looked good in it, and she didn't have time or want to change into something that might be more acceptable.
"Well! Is something wrong?!" Maka demanded. She was glad when her voice came out firm and indignant, instead of reflecting her inner turmoil. Soul's dark eyes focused on hers.
"Yeah. We're late." Soul was desperately trying to cover his reaction to that stunning dress. Well...the woman-girl in it. But seeing the anger rise in his miester's face, he added "but you look great. Now c'mon. Let's go already." He wheeled around on his heel and slouched down the steps, giving himself no time to observe her reaction.